What if Kubica's rally crash never happened?

Grand prix history changed for the poorer when Robert Kubica suffered a rally crash before the start of the 2011 Formula 1 season. While his journey back could yet be completed, how might his career have turned out if it hadn't been interrupted?

This wasn't how it happened. But it could have been had fortune been kinder to Robert Kubica.

Kubica was frustrated at the start of the 2011 season, having been unable to contest January's Monte Carlo Rally because employer Renault did not have an S2000-spec car for him and would not allow him to drive a rival manufacturer's car. His planned runout in a Skoda Fabia in the Ronde di Andora Rally between the first and second pre-season Formula 1 tests was also nixed.

But other than being prevented from dabbling in rallying when there was a gap in the F1 schedule, things were looking up. After moving to Renault in 2010 and enjoying a strong season in a car that was good enough for the odd podium but not race wins, expectations were high for the coming campaign.

Edd Straw is a former Editor and Editor-in-Chief of Autosport, who has now returned to covering the Formula 1 circus full-time.

Originally from Guernsey in the Channel Islands, he joined Autosport in 2002 having graduated from Warwick University. He went on to cover a wide range of categories from club motorsport to the World Touring Car Championship and sportscars to Formula 3, before switching to F1 full-time at the 2008 French Grand Prix. He then became Autosport Magazine Editor in November 2014.

After subsequent spells as Autosport Editor-in-Chief and then as Motorsport Network's Digital Content Manager, he returned to his favourite role of Grand Prix Editor in 2018.

He is also the host of The Autosport Podcast, a judge for the Autosport Williams Engineer of the Future Award, and was formerly a club racer whose abilities did not match his enthusiasm in a variety of categories ranging from Stock Hatch to the European Ferrari Challenge.

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